


Who To Trust

by beckybrit



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-12
Updated: 2012-05-12
Packaged: 2017-11-05 05:35:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/402984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beckybrit/pseuds/beckybrit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A serial killer is loose in Seattle. Bartender Bella Swan must choose between her friend and her lover when both men accuse the other of committing these awful crimes. When the evidence begins to mount up, she must decide who to trust. AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to the lovely AJasperForMe for beta'ing this for me. This is an AU ExB story. Rated M.
> 
> Disclaimer : SM owns all things Twilight.

She looked over her shoulder again, positive this time that she'd heard something. Her eyes strained to penetrate the blackness behind her, but all she could see were the shadows of buildings, the light from the streetlamps not reaching very far at all. She listened hard for the footsteps she swore she heard moments before, but there was nothing. Pulling her coat tighter around her shoulders, she turned on her heel and hurried along the path.

She would never normally take this route home, but she'd been late leaving work and hadn't been able to catch a cab. Now, with her mind seemingly playing tricks on her, and scaring her half to death, she wished she'd waited however long it would have taken to get that cab. Her feet were likely thinking the same thing as they started to ache from the stupidly high heels she was wearing. What ever possessed her to think walking home in five inch pumps was a good idea! She huffed a little at her own stupidity.

Up ahead she could see the streetlights of her road, the welcoming light calling out to her to hurry the fuck up and get to the relative safety it provided. She breathed a deep sigh of relief as she rounded the corner, only to have it turn into a muffled scream as a large gloved hand clamped over her mouth and dragged her back into the dark. She struggled, using all her strength to try and get out of his grasp, she knew it was a he from the prominent bulge pressing into her back, but he was just too powerful.

He continued to drag her backwards, finally coming to a stop down a pitch black side alley. He hadn't said a word this whole time. All she could hear was his even breathing close to her ear, and the rapid thump of her heart as it attempted to keep up with the terror flooding her body. He pulled her roughly against him, tilting her head back sharply and exposing her long slender neck. Her last thought as he slid the knife across her throat was of her parents; she hoped her body would be found so they'd at least have something to bury.

His grip on her tightened, as the life slipped out of her and pooled onto the hard stone floor, reveling in the immense feeling of power that he held in his hands for that one moment. That was the whole reason why he did this, to know that he alone had the power to take her life or let her go. He never let them go though, and he never would. He allowed her now lifeless form to drop unceremoniously to the floor. It held no appeal now that she was dead and as he walked swiftly away into the night, he was already thinking about his next kill.

 

-oxo-

 

"Oh my God, there's been another one!" Bella exclaimed loudly as she slapped the paper down onto the bar.  _Serial Killer Strikes Again: Victim No.4 Found._  The headline of the Seattle Times stared up at her as she began to read out loud from the article below.

"The body of the fourth victim was discovered early yesterday morning by two garbage collectors. The victim has been identified as twenty two year old Karen Garcia, Seattle. She was found in an alley not two hundred meters from her home. Police are following up several lines of inquiry."

Bella scoffed at the last statement, putting the paper under the bar and out of sight as she began to prep for her shift behind one of the many bars at Club Trinity.

"You know that means they've got nothing, right?" Rosalie asked, sauntering up next to her. They were roommates and had known each other since high school. It was Rosalie who'd gotten Bella this job at the bar when they'd started college together. Both in their final year, they were saving up for a month long holiday after graduation. This was the reason they were both stuck working on a Friday night when the rest of their friends would soon be out partying, most of them probably ending up here.

"I know." Bella replied, wiping down the bar. "My Dad reckons they've got no clue as to where to even start looking for answers." Rose nodded in agreement. Bella's father, Charlie Swan, was the Police Chief in the town of Forks, Washington, where both Bella and Rose had grown up. They were used to hearing Charlie's opinions on the big cases that were always in the news, and more often than not, he was spot on at reading between the lines.

Both girls agreed that it was more than a little frightening for a serial killer to be on the loose in Seattle, and for the police to have no idea of how to catch him. They'd decided weeks ago after the second murder, never to walk anywhere alone after dark, and had stuck to this decision religiously. In fact, they'd managed to persuade all the female staff at Trinity to adopt this procedure. There was even a notice board, in the ladies staff washroom, where you could leave ads for 'walking buddies'. No one left the club on their own, it just wasn't safe anymore.

Nearly two hours later, the club was more than half full, even though it was still relatively early. Bella and Rose worked the back bar together with effortless coordination. It was on the other side of the dance floor, nestled next to the high tables and stools, and as such tended to be a bit quieter than the other three bars that Club Trinity boasted.

Rose elbowed Bella in the side, causing her to look up just as a familiar face came into view.

"Boyfriend number two is here." Rose muttered under her breath as the man in question sat down on his usual stool at the end of the bar on Bella's side. The glare Bella shot over to Rose made her laugh as usual, though she did try to hide it this time with a cough. Jacob Black had been coming to Trinity every Friday night for the past two months. He'd asked Bella out on a date on the first night he was here, but she'd refused. Although he was tall, dark and, some would say, handsome, he wasn't really her type and she had politely told him so. Much to her surprise, he had taken it extremely well and now they were firm friends. Rosalie, however, had strong suspicions that he still harbored thoughts of being more than friends, no matter what he said to the contrary.

"Hey, Jake." Bella greeted him with a smile. "Still on for coffee tomorrow afternoon?"

"Of course, wouldn't miss it," he smiled in return.

The two of them often met up for coffee on Saturday afternoon. Jake owned a garage about three blocks away and only worked until twelve on Saturdays, so they had chosen to meet up in the afternoons for coffee, cake and a chat.

She uncapped his usual beer and slid it across the bar to him. He caught it, took a long drink, tipping his head back slightly before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He sighed contentedly, putting the half empty bottle back down.

"Have you heard there's been another one?" he asked when Bella began to serve the man next to him.

"Yeah, we were just reading about it earlier." she replied, not looking at him as she spoke and he took the opportunity to ogle her without being caught. Although she'd turned him down when he'd asked her out and he was more than happy being her friend, he could still appreciate what a beauty she was, with her big dark eyes and long chestnut hair. With said hair currently being tamed in a high pony tail, he also got to enjoy the sight of her pale and slender neck and shoulders. He sighed quietly, a whole lot of 'what ifs' running through his head.

They continued to chat about the murders, and the apparent lack of progress being made by the police. Jake agreed that it seemed, from the statements released to the press, they were making very little headway with the case.

"Where was Edward on Wednesday night?" he asked nonchalantly.

Bella rolled her eyes at yet another accusation to be thrown at her boyfriend by Jake. She'd been dating Edward Cullen for a little over a month, and it had been the best month of her life. Jake made no secret of the fact that he disliked Edward, and Bella couldn't help but think that he was secretly jealous. Who wouldn't be though? With his movie star good looks, atop broad shoulders and a tall, lean frame, there was plenty to be jealous about. Bella smiled to herself just thinking about him in all his glory.

"Really?" she said, raising a challenging eyebrow at Jake. "We're doing this again? I know you don't like him, but that's no reason to keep accusing him of being a mass murderer!" Her voice had risen in volume by the time she finished speaking, her anger at his constant accusations bubbling to the surface.

"Calm down, I'm not accusing him of anything, B." he said, trying to placate her. He knew all too well how she refused to hear a bad word said against  _Edward_ and it pissed him right the fuck off! She'd known him all of a month, for fuck's sake, and apart from college and working at the club, he was nearly always fucking with her.

"Come on though, Bella. What do you really know about him?"

"Well, let's see..." she tapped her fingers on her chin as if deep in thought. "He's smart, funny, incredibly good looking, owns his own business and is the perfect gentleman."

Jake found it difficult not to choke on that last part. He could well imagine the ungentlemanly things that Edward wanted to do to her, because more than likely he'd thought of doing them himself. He looked down at his beer and Rose quickly nudged Bella, mouthing that 'boyfriend number one' had arrived.

"Oh, he also just walked in," she hissed to the top of Jake's lowered head. "So, shut the fuck up about it now, ok?"

Before he could respond, she'd skipped out from behind the bar and was running towards the tall suited man with the mop of unruly bronze hair. He scooped her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing him hard. The familiar buzz she got from being in his presence, flooded through her body, causing her to sigh into his mouth. He kissed her back, giving her ass a small squeeze before pulling away to look at her face.

"Mmm..." he smiled at her. "A man could get used to being greeted like this." He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her nose. She shivered slightly as his cold hands slid up the back of her shirt. She'd long gotten used to his cool touch. At first it had bothered her, and she'd spent hours wondering what was wrong with him. After finally asking him about it, she'd been relieved to find out that he just suffered from poor circulation and nothing life threatening. Although there was a little nagging doubt at the back of her mind that told her it was so much more than poor circulation, she chose to ignore it because, as a boyfriend, Edward Cullen was virtually perfect in every other way.

"That's good then," she replied, kissing him again. "because I could get used to doing it."

He finally released her, allowing her body to slide deliciously down his as he lowered her to the floor. Over her shoulder, he spotted Jacob's all too familiar hulking frame in his usual spot at the bar. Edward's eyes narrowed as they swept over his form, noting his close proximity to Bella's side of the bar. Jacob Black was a nasty little thorn in Edwards side, a constant irritation that he'd like nothing better than to have removed. He kept his thoughts of getting Jake out of the picture to himself however, he was Bella's friend and Edward would never do anything to hurt her. Even if he did suspect that Jacob's interest in Bella was anything but friendly. If only he could read his mind.

Bella, noticing Edward's sudden lack of attention towards her, followed his gaze to see what was so interesting. When realization dawned on her, she poked him in his hard chest, pulling his eyes back to hers.

"Sorry," he said, noting her arched eyebrow and questioning glare. "I see  _he's_ here already. Remind me again why you like him?" He returned his stare briefly to Jake, smiling smugly when Jake turned around and saw him with his arms still wrapped around Bella.

"Stop it, he's my friend," she scolded lightly. Edward looked her in the eyes, intense feelings bubbling up in his chest as he saw the truth reflected there. She only saw him as her friend, nothing more, no matter what the mutt might secretly hope for.

"You know you really shouldn't trust him, especially with these murders still going on. I mean, what do you know about him really?"

 _Oh for fuck's sake!_ She thought,huffing in annoyance. She'd had enough with Jake flinging wild accusations all over the place, she didn't need Edward doing it too. It was exhausting always being in the middle.

"You know he says the same about you, don't you?" she asked, stepping out of his arms and turning back towards the bar.

Sensing her sudden coolness towards him, he grabbed her hand, swiftly drawing her back towards him for one last heartfelt kiss before she went back to tending bar. He wanted her mind on nothing but him as she returned to where Jacob was seated. To his relief, she allowed him to kiss her, returning it with passion before pushing him away, laughing and shaking her head as she finally made it back behind the bar.

He caught Jacob staring at them and shot him a smug grin. It was good being him.

He watched Bella in action for a few minutes, admiring the way she moved between customers. Her smooth actions as she served drink after drink, never halting her movements or making a mistake. As she reached for a bottle at the far end of the bar, he noticed that he wasn't the only one watching her closely. Jacob's eyes roamed her body, only looking elsewhere when she glanced in his direction.  _Never gonna happen,_ Edward thought as he made his over to the unoccupied stool on Jacob's right.

Bella looked up as he sat down, raising an eyebrow at his seating selection. He merely grinned innocently at her, causing her to shake her head as she continued serving her customers. Rosalie sidled over to her and whispered in her ear. She nodded while flashing her eyes over towards Edward and when he caught the smile she tried to hide as she turned away, his grin became even wider.

Jacob and Edward sat together in silence for the next two hours, ignoring each other as they both watched Bella in action behind the bar. The club was now full to capacity and both Bella and Rosalie were slammed with orders. The only time Bella had managed to speak to them was to ask if everything was ok, her gaze darting between the two of them with a concerned expression on her face. They had assured her it was all fine and she'd reluctantly gone back to serving, but kept an eye on them all the time.

As it neared the end of Bella's shift, Jacob shuffled slightly in his chair so that he was partially facing Edward, who was now waiting expectantly for him to speak.

"You taking B home tonight?" He asked, almost through gritted teeth. Edward winced internally at his use of that crude nickname for her. If he'd had his way, she would be called Isabella all the time, but she had quickly shut that down on their very first date.

"Yes," he replied curtly. "I will be taking  _Bella_  home with me after her shift." He hoped Jake got the subtle message he was trying to send. That Bella would be coming back to his house tonight and staying with him. All night. It would be the first time they'd spent the whole night together and he was ridiculously excited about the possibilities in store for them.

"Are you going to kill her too?" Jacob whispered softly enough that only Edward could hear him.

"Don't be fucking ridiculous, Black!" Edward hissed in return, his eyes turning a menacing black as Jake laughed in his face.

"Oh don't act all innocent with me. I know what you  _are_  and what you  _do_."

"Well that makes two of us." Edward leaned in, merely inches away from his face. "Stay the fuck away from her."

"Does she know about you?" he asked, unperturbed by Edward invading his personal space.

"That's none of your fucking business. Anyway, _w_ here were  _you_  Wednesday night Black?" Edward asked him, all the while keeping a check on Bella to make sure she was far enough away not to be able to hear them.

"Visiting my Dad." he smirked. "You?"

"Away on business." Edward shot back.

Before either of them could comment further, Bella appeared at Edward's side, already dressed in her coat and gloves, effectively putting an end to their somewhat heated discussion.

"Ready?" She asked, looking warily at the two of them, before turning her attention solely to Edward.

"More than ready." he replied, capturing her unsuspecting lips in a quick kiss.

She broke away from him so he could stand and slip an arm around her.

"Night, Jake. See you tomorrow," she said, waving before turning away. Edward couldn't help himself and gave Jacob a wave as well, laughing as he got the  _finger_  in return.

Bella paused on her way past the bar to make sure that Rose had someone to go home with. It was her turn to work until closing tonight and Bella wanted to check that she wouldn't be going home alone. Only when Rose informed her that she was getting a lift from Lauren and Jessica and threw in a wink, a smirk and a 'have fun', did Bella allow Edward to escort her out to his waiting car.

-oxo-

The next week passed by without incident. There were thankfully no more murders as of yet, but the police didn't seem to be getting anywhere either. A few people had been brought in for questioning, hiding their faces from the TV crews as they entered the police stations, only to be released without charge hours later.

Bella was seated in Starbucks waiting for Jake to arrive for their usual Saturday afternoon coffee. He and Edward continued to have little digs at each other, but they had both promised her that they'd be civil. A warm feeling spread throughout her chest as she thought of Edward. Things had been getting serious between them after she'd spent the evening at his place, taking their relationship to the next level.

She smiled as she remembered Rose's face the next day when she'd eventually gone home. The minute she'd stepped foot in the door, Rose had been on her like a pit bull, dragging her into the living room and sitting her down on the sofa.

" _Oh my God, look at you! He must have been hot as fuck because you are positively glowing, girl!"_

_Bella couldn't help the huge grin that spread across her face, accompanying the deep pink blush now coloring her cheeks._

" _Tell me all about it, now!" Rose squealed, practically vibrating with excitement. "I want details too!"_

They'd spent the next few hours discussing and dissecting Bella's night with Edward; the way he'd pushed her up against the door the minute they were inside his apartment, lavishing her body with kisses wherever her skin was bare. Rose sighed as Bella told her of the reverent way he'd treated her, practically worshiping her skin with his hands and his tongue. The girls giggled when Bella explained in graphic detail how he'd dropped to his knees before her, slipping off her shoes, her jeans and finally ripping her panties off with his teeth.

It was the hottest thing Bella had ever experienced, well that was until his mouth covered her pussy and his tongue thrust inside her. She told Rose all about gripping onto his soft, silky hair as he brought her endless pleasure, making her scream out his name when he slipped two of his fingers inside her.

Only when he'd reduced her to a quivering mess, did he stand, scoop her into his arms and carry her into his bedroom. He took the rest of the night to show her exactly what he was capable of as he made love to her, and fucked her senseless, in equal measures. She was so exhausted the next day, she'd had to cancel coffee with Jake, which she thought Edward was secretly pleased about, and spent the day lounging in bed until returning home to the Spanish Inquisition about four in the afternoon.

The door to the coffee shop opened, snapping Bella out of her daydream as she looked up expectantly to see if it was Jake arriving. Sure enough, she was met with his dazzling smile as he sauntered over to her table after ordering and paying for his coffee.

"You're late, mister." she said, laughing softly. This must have been the only time that Bella had been on time for their coffee afternoons.

"I know, sorry about that." his smile didn't quite reach his eyes this time. "I had an errand to run," he added, but didn't elaborate further.

They chatted about nothing in particular for a few minutes, waiting for Jake's coffee to be ready. When they shouted his order, he fetched it and sat back down with purpose, it seemed to Bella. She mentally braced herself for whatever he was about to say.

"So," he paused, his coffee cup suddenly looking all sorts of interesting. "You and  _Edward_  seem to be getting serious." He looked up in time to see her bristle slightly at the way he'd said Edward's name.

She sighed as she realized they were going to have  _this_  conversation again. With great effort, she explained to Jake in her most pleasant voice that yes, they were getting serious and she was very happy with that fact.

He leaned forward, hands resting on the table.

"I've been doing a little checking up on your Mr. Perfect."

"How dare you!" Bella immediately interrupted him, incensed that he'd had the audacity to pry into her business. Who did he think he was? Her father? For fuck's sake! He raised his hand to stop her, before she could say more.

"I'm only looking out for you as your friend, Bella."

She continued to glare at him, unconvinced by his  _supposed_ motives.

"Just listen to me for 10 minutes, ok?" he pleaded with her. She nodded her head slightly, just wanting to get this over with so she could tell him how wrong he was.

"Do you know much about Cullen's business?"

"Not really." she replied curtly. "It's some sort of export company."

"Does he go away on business much?"

"I guess." she sighed heavily. "Just get to the point Jake."

"The police haven't released this information yet, but the killings have all taken place on nights when there is either a new moon or a full moon."

"And?" Bella tried to keep her expression neutral, but she was curious as to where he was heading with this.

"Cullen was away on business on the nights that at least the last two murders took place." he raised his eyebrow at her, daring her to tell him, he'd got it wrong. "The next new moon is this coming Thursday. Is Edward away by any chance?"

Bella didn't say anything, but the answer to his question was written all over her face. Jake smiled at her, knowingly.

"I fucking knew it!"

"That doesn't mean shit, Jake!" Bella hissed at him."He always calls me from his hotel, when he's away. He's there on business, not murdering innocent young women!" She tried in vain to keep her voice down, people were starting to stare.

"If I remember correctly, you were away for the last two murders as well. Does that make you the killer?"

"That's different Bella and you know it. I was visiting my dad at the Reservation."

Neither of them spoke for the next few minutes, the silence stretching out until it started to become uncomfortable.

"I need to get going." Bella said, breaking the tension as she grabbed her bag and pushed her chair back. Jake nodded in resignation, but grabbed for her hand before she left he table.

"Just be careful with Cullen, ok?"

She pulled her hand out of his grasp, turned and left without answering.

-oxo-

It was pitch black as he followed at the edge of the tree line. His night vision was perfect and he had absolutely no trouble seeing in the dark. He made his move and almost sighed in relief as he felt the life force drain away. A movement to his right caused him to finish prematurely, a few drops of blood spilling onto his black leather gloves as he turned to give chase. He scanned the area quickly, but whatever it was that had disturbed him was long gone. With a last look around, he left, disappearing back into the night.

-oxo-

"Hey, Bella?" Rose called from the living room. "Get in here, the police are going to make a statement!"

Just over a week ago, there had been another attack. Although Bella was loathe to admit it, Jake had been right. It had been on the night of the new moon. The papers had caught on to the theory and were printing the Luna cycles, warning people to stay in on specific dates. There was one significant difference with this latest victim though.

_She. Had. Survived._

It had been all over the news, about how he must have been disturbed, because somehow she managed to escape and call for help. Several passersby had heard her and called the police and the paramedics. Although she'd gotten away from him, he'd still managed to cut her and she'd lost a lot of blood and had slipped into unconsciousness before help had arrived. Apparently she'd managed to bang her head at some point and had to be sedated overnight to reduce the swelling. It seemed like all of Seattle had been waiting for her to wake up and shed some light on the serial killer terrorizing the city. The police had been allowed in to interview her yesterday but hadn't released any information as yet. Looked like that was about to change.

Bella ran into the room, dressed in her pj's, having just been getting ready for bed. Edward was away on business until Wednesday, so she'd planned on having an early night.

"What have they said? Has she identified the killer?" Bella asked excitedly.

"Ssshh!" Rose hushed her, turning up the volume.

The detective in charge of the case, cleared his throat and silence spread throughout the waiting crowd.

"Miss Denali has been moved out of intensive care and is making good progress in her recovery. She asked us to thank you all for the flowers and messages of support she has received."

The crowd murmured appreciatively.

"We managed to talk to Miss Denali for a few hours yesterday and again this afternoon. She has provided us with several new avenues of inquiry, which unfortunately, at this point in time, we are not at liberty to discuss."

"You've got to give us something." One of the news reporters shouted.

"Did she give a description of him?" asked another.

The detective put his hand up to silence their questions.

"She wasn't able to get a good look at her attacker, but from what she can remember, he was tall, at least 6ft 2. He didn't speak, so we have no idea where he's from."

"What about his hands, did she see them? Was he white, black?"

"No," he replied, looking across to his Chief to see if he was allowed to divulge this information. The chief nodded in return. "He was wearing dark leather gloves, so she couldn't see any of his skin."

The crowd of reporters and television crew began a barrage of questions, each trying to talk over the other.

"I'm sorry we don't have more for you, but as soon as we do, we'll let you all know." With that the detective turned and disappeared back inside the hospital.

Rosalie turned off the tv with the remote and threw it onto the settee.

"Well, what a load of fucking good that description will do us.  _Tall and wearing gloves."_ she scoffed, walking over to the couch and collapsing onto it. "I mean, surely she gave them more than that, don't you think?

"I don't know Rose," Bella replied, resting her elbows on the back, behind Rose's head, "if it was pitch black and she was losing blood, maybe she really didn't see anything. Or maybe the police are keeping some of the information under wraps for the time being."

Rose huffed and picked up one of her text books, settling in to do a bit of revision before bed. Bella stood and stretched before wishing Rose a good night and telling her not to stay up too late.

-oxo-

Friday night came around all too quickly in Bella's opinion. She and Rose had to work again, but Bella had been feeling off all day and the last thing she felt like doing was tending bar all night in a hot and sweaty dance club. Rose had insisted she would be fine on her own, and that she should stay home. If it had been any other night, she would have taken her up on her offer, but Fridays were always the busiest and she just couldn't do that to her friend. She downed a couple of Tylenol and slipped her coat on, following Rose out the door.

It was hard going setting up before opening. Bella found herself having to stop every ten minutes, to quell the dizziness that was threatening to take over. Rose kept a watchful eye on her, but the look on Bella's face warned her not to say anything.

It wasn't too long after opening that Jake turned up. He and Bella hadn't really spoken since their argument in the coffee shop, and she really hoped he wasn't here to start it up all over again.

"Hey." he said, sitting down on his usual stool.

"Hey." she replied a little curtly, while passing a couple of beers to the man next to him. After taking his money, she turned her full attention on Jake.

"No Edward tonight?" he asked, looking around as if searching for him."You know it's a full moon tonight. Is he away on  _business_ again?"

Bella rolled her eyes and barely managed not to scream in his face.

"For fuck's sake! Jacob!" she hissed, leaning over the bar towards him. "Drop it. Edward will be in later as a matter of fact, and if you don't stop with this crap then I will be forced to get security to remove you!" She stalked off to the other end of the bar, leaving Jake sitting alone with his mouth hanging open.

She ignored him for the next hour, studiously avoiding his numerous attempts to catch her eye. Eventually, he grew tired of the silent treatment and called her over.

"Bella?"

Still nothing.

"Look, I'm sorry, ok." he ran his hands over his forehead, trying not to let his irritation at her childish behavior show. "Can we talk? Please?"

He watched as she paused, sighed deeply and turned towards his end of the bar.

"So, talk."

"I just want to say one thing and then I promise to never talk about Edward Cullen ever again."

She eyed him suspiciously, debating whether it was worth her while to hear him out or not. Finally her more forgiving side won out and she decided to let him get this off his chest. Hopefully then, they could go back to being friends and put all this behind them. He would just have to accept that Edward was in her life, and that was that.

"I know you think you can trust Edward and I'm sure it seems that way on the surface, but I know for a fact that he has been away  _on business_ , for all of the murders. I tried checking to see where he went but no one seems to be forthcoming with that information, or they just don't know." He could see she was practically having to bite her tongue to prevent herself from interrupting him, so he hurried to finish his piece.

"For your own peace of mind, please just find out what he does and where he goes on his business trips. Even if he's not the serial killer, he could still be up to no good. If you don't want to ask him about it, then get Charlie to do a background check on him. I'm a little surprised he hasn't yet, he didn't hesitate with your last boyfriend."

Her sheepish expression told him that the reason Charlie hadn't already checked up on Bella's latest boyfriend was because he didn't know about him.

"I see." he said, with a rather smug expression. "You haven't told Charlie about Edward yet. Afraid of what he might find out?"

"No!" she shot back, but Jake could clearly see the small seeds of doubt beginning to take root. He almost rubbed his hands in satisfaction.

"Are you done now?" she asked, still a little coldly. He could handle that though, because he had managed to say everything he'd wanted to. Hopefully she would heed some of his warnings this time.

-oxo-

As the night wore on, Bella felt decidedly worse and reluctantly informed Rose that she needed to go home. Jake, overhearing their conversation, immediately offered his assistance.

"I can give you a lift home if you like."

"No, it's fine. But thanks." Bella politely declined.

"Its no trouble, honest. I was about to head out soon, anyway." he was already searching in his pocket for his keys, when she reached for his arm and stopped him.

"Look, Jake, thanks for the offer, but I already have a lift."

His eyes flicked over to Rosalie, wondering how she could possibly leave the bar unattended to take Bella home. Noticing where his gaze had drifted to, Bella was quick to correct him.

"No, Rosalie's not taking me home,-"

"I am."

Bella jumped a little as Edward's smooth velvet voice interrupted them. He eased onto the stool next to Jacob, looking Bella over with a worried expression on his face. She looked deathly pale, with a slight sheen of sweat covering her forehead. That's a shame, he thought regretfully. He'd had big plans for them tonight.

He nodded an acknowledgment to Jake, slipping his coat off and dropping it on the bar between them. Jake couldn't help but notice the pair of black gloves that were tucked into one of the pockets. With his heightened senses he was able to detect the few drops of blood that had soaked into the leather. _Fucking perfect!_ He thought, almost unable to believe his luck. This was exactly the evidence he needed to get Bella away from fucking  _Edward_   _Cullen._

"Are you about ready to go, Isabella?" Edward asked, getting up from his bar stool.

"Yes, almost," she replied, choosing to ignore his use of her full name, just this once. She paused to steady herself on the bar as another wave of nausea flowed through her. "I just need to go get my coat from the back room." She turned round slowly, heading for the back of the club, when Edward's cool hand on her wrist stopped her.

"I'll go get it. You sit down and rest, you don't look at all well." he said, stroking a cold thumb tenderly across her cheekbone and she nodded her agreement, struggling to push aside the doubts that Jacob had put in her mind. She watched as he disappeared around the corner, admiring the way his jeans hugged his perfect ass. Jacob was wrong, Edward had been the perfect boyfriend for the whole time they'd been dating. Always opening doors for her, taking her coat and always making sure she was ok. He was like an old fashioned gentleman and she had loved every minute of it. There was no way he could ever do those things.

"Bella?" Jacob's urgent whisper broke her out of her thoughts.

"What?" she snapped, annoyed with him for making her doubt Edward.

"We don't have much time, we need to get you out of here before he comes back. I don't want you going anywhere with him alone."

"Don't be ridiculous, Jacob!" She was getting angry now. "We've been alone plenty of times before now."

"Yes, but that was before I had proof." he replied, gesturing to Edward's coat that he'd left on his stool.

"What the fuck do you mean? Proof?" she asked testily. This was getting beyond ridiculous.

She watched, with a skeptical eye as Jacob reached into the pocket of Edward's coat and pulled out a pair of black leather gloves. He raised a questioning eyebrow at her, as if these were all the proof he needed.

"That proves nothing," she scoffed. "Lots of people have gloves."

Taking the gloves, Jacob hopped over the bar towards the small sink behind it. Turning on the cold tap so it was just a dribble, he quickly wet the gloves and then padded them dry on the white bar towel.

"Do lots of people have gloves that are covered in blood?" he asked, thrusting the towel in her face.

She reluctantly lowered her eyes, her blood running cold and her palms becoming sweaty as she noticed smears of red all over the towel.

 _Nooooooo! It couldn't be._ She thought, shaking her head in denial.

"It might not be blood." Her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Do you want to take that chance, Bella? He has no alibi for any of the murders, and funny how he turned up not long after the murders started."

A shadow of doubt passed over her face and he seized his chance, jumping up and grabbing her hand.

"We need to leave now, he'll be back any minute."

"Shouldn't we just call the police?" she asked, thinking of her father.

"I will, but we need to get you out of here before he comes back."

She was confused and allowed Jake to lead her towards the delivery entrance at the side of the club, the opposite way to where Edward had gone. All the while he pulled her down the corridor towards the door, part of her mind screamed at her, that this was wrong. Edward would never hurt her, and he would never hurt all those other girls. But the seeds of doubt and mistrust that Jacob had sewn, were festering, causing her to question everything Edward had said or done especially on  _those_ nights.

They reached the heavy double doors and Jacob pushed them open, dragging her roughly through behind him. He shoved her against the wall and rushed back to shut the doors.

"Ow! Jake. What the fuck?" She looked at him with wide eyes, he'd never treated her like that before. She knew they were in a hurry, but he didn't have to manhandle her quite so much.

Her arm ached from where he'd held her too tightly and she rubbed it with her fingers, trying to soothe some of the sting. The shrill sound of protesting metal assaulted her ears and her head snapped in the direction of the sound, just in time to see Jake twist the metal handles on the inside of the doors, snapping them off so that they could no longer be opened from the inside. He forced them shut and turned back to face an opened mouthed and trembling Bella.

"There, that should hold him off for a minute or two." he grinned as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

The shock of what she'd just witnessed was plain on Bella's face, and she struggled to find her voice.

"H... how did you do that? What are you?" she managed to croak out, her voice breaking slightly on the last word.

He sauntered towards her, his smile still in place, but for a minute she thought she saw a sinister edge to it. She shuddered involuntarily and shook her head to clear it.

"Oh Bella. You wouldn't believe me if I told you. You see Edward and I exist in a completely different world than you."

She had no idea what he was going on about, maybe he'd had too much to drink. She hadn't been paying too much attention to how many drinks she'd served him tonight. His head snapped towards the door as if he'd heard a noise, but the night was eerily quite outside of the club.

"We don't have long, he'll be coming soon and that door wont keep him from getting out." said Jacob, his eyes fixed on the door.

"Well let's hurry." Bella replied, taking in their surroundings. "Wheres your car, Jake?"

"Oh, he's not coming for you, Bella," he said, fetching a pair of black gloves out of his pocket and pulling them on, all the time edging closer to her.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Alarm bells began to go off like crazy in her head as she backed up until her bottom came in contact with the wall.

"He's coming for me," he whispered, holding up the knife for her to see. "He's been hunting the killer for weeks, only he didn't know it was  _me_  until now. You should have trusted your  _Vampire_ , Bella, he's one of the good guys. Unlike me," he hissed. She didn't have a chance to process what he'd just told her about Edward as he was now holding her tight and pressing the razor sharp blade to the soft skin of her delicate throat. "He's finally gotten too close and, unfortunately for you, you're going to be my grand finale before I leave this fucking city."

Her breath caught as she realized with startling clarity, what some small part of her had known all along. Edward would never cause her harm, he hadn't touched those other girls and lastly and most importantly, she should have fucking trusted him. He was her lover, yes there were things about him that were  _different,_ but deep in her heart she'd known the truth. Now it was too late, she'd allowed Jacob's constant accusations to gradually wear away the trust she'd had in Edward and she was about to face the dire consequences of her actions. She just hoped he could forgive her, even if she never got the chance to tell him.

As Jake drew the blade across her throat, slicing her open and letting her blood seep out, the last thing she heard was Edward frantically calling her name and the unmistakeable sound of the delivery doors being ripped from their hinges.

Jake dropped her quickly and fled the scene. Her mind registered one last thought as she felt cold, strong arms wrap tightly around her, before falling into the blackness.

_Edward...I'm sorry..._

 

_  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a serial killer loose in Seattle. Bartender Bella Swan must choose between her friend Jacob Black, and her lover Edward Cullen. Both men accuse the other of committing these awful crimes and when the evidence begins to mount up, she must decide who to trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the lovely Gemmah for her awesome beta'ing.
> 
> Just a reminder, the vampires in this story have no special abilities; Edward can't read minds.
> 
> Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related.

It took longer than he anticipated to find Bella's things. The minute Edward returned to the bar with her coat he could sense something was very fucking wrong. He cast his eyes around the room, trying to locate the reason for his growing unease. They fell first on Rosalie , who seemed oblivious to anything else going on around her as she served drinks over the other side of the bar. He noticed that his coat was still in place where he'd left it, but his leather gloves were now laying over by the small sink He saw the stained white towel and smelled the faint traces of blood that were now smeared all over it.

"Fuck!" he hissed under his breath.

Something or someone had interrupted him the last time he had fed and he'd spilled a few drops of blood on his clothes and his gloves. The clothes had been cleaned, but clearly he'd forgotten about the gloves and it looked like Jacob had taken advantage of his lapse in concentration.

"Rosalie?" he shouted across the crowded bar to get her attention. "Where's Bella?"

She looked over at him, a somewhat confused expression on her face.

"She was right there talking to Jacob a minute ago. I didn't see where they went, sorry." She flashed him an apologetic smile and returned to her customers. He resisted the urge to scream at her for not paying more attention; after all it wasn't her fault. It was his and he knew it; he'd obviously underestimated the lengths Black would go to get Bella away from him.

Edward rapidly scanned the crowd while inhaling deeply to see if he could pick up their scent. The nightclub was filled with too many other strong smells for him to be able to identify Bella's delicate one, but he  _could_  detect faint traces of Jake. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and raced off in the direction of the delivery entrance where the smell was coming from.

As he rounded the corner he heard the unmistakeable sound of protesting metal. He cursed as he reached the doors and came face to face with Jake's handiwork. It wouldn't stop him for long but it was a diversion he could do without. Who knew what lies Jake was already spouting to Bella? Edward needed to get to her and fast. He took a few paces backwards, but before he could run at the doors he heard Jake's voice outside and the words stopped him cold.

" _He's been hunting the killer for weeks, only he didn't know it was me until now. You should have trusted your Vampire, Bella. He's one of the good guys. Unlike me."_

Ignoring the fact that he'd just been outed as a vampire, Edward clenched his fists tightly at Jake's revelation. He should have realized Jake was the killer before now, then Bella would have been safe. But Jake had been careful, he'd covered his tracks well. They must have been covering for him down at the Reservation because when Edward had inquired about his visits, his alibis had always checked out.

" _He's finally gotten too close and, unfortunately for you, you're going to be my grand finale before I leave this fucking city."_

Edward roared Bella's name as he burst through the mangled delivery doors that dared to keep him from her. The pungent smell of blood filled the air and assaulted his senses. His head whipped to the side in time to see Bella's body slump to the floor, dark red trails seeping from the cut across her throat.

"No!" Edward cried out as he flew to her crumpled form and swept her up into his arms.

He ignored the sound of Jake's retreating footsteps, knowing he would lose Isabella if he chose to follow them. Instead, he leaned down and tenderly ran his tongue across her neck, his venom sealing the vicious wound that Jake had inflicted. The taste of her blood exploded in his mouth, the exquisite mix of all things Isabella filling his body and setting his senses alight. It had been so long since he'd drunk from a human that he'd almost forgotten how good they tasted.

_Almost._

He was certain though, that none of them had ever tasted as good as she did.

He greedily licked the remaining blood from her skin, savoring each drop until there was nothing left. It took all his restraint not to get on his knees and lick it off the ground where it had pooled when she'd collapsed. It seemed such a waste.

Her stuttering heartbeat snapped him out of his haze, and voices coming from inside the club reminded him of their predicament. Maybe Rosalie had sounded the alarm since neither he, Bella or Jake had returned, or maybe someone had heard him blast through the delivery doors. Either way, he needed to get Bella away from there. With her held securely against his chest, he shot off into the night towards his apartment, taking great care to remain in the shadows all the way. It wasn't all that late and Edward was grateful that the streets were more deserted than usual.

If he'd taken her to a hospital or called the paramedics she may have pulled through, but there was no way he could have done that. It was too dangerous for him, the risk of exposure would be too high -too many questions would be asked- not to mention he'd have trouble explaining how he'd managed to seal her wound so cleanly.

No, unfortunately for Bella, there was only one thing that could save her now, but  _that_  was not something he would ever do without her permission.

~WtT~

He reached his apartment without incident and quietly slipped inside. Heading straight for his bedroom he gently laid Bella down in his huge bed, pulling a thick blanket over her pale body. Even though she was no longer bleeding, she'd lost so much blood that it would soon be too late. Her pulse was getting weaker and he could feel her slipping away.

"Oh, Isabella," he whispered reverently, brushing the slightly matted hair away from her throat and tracing his fingers over her newly healed scar. He loved the way her full name rolled off his tongue and used it often when she wasn't awake to scold him about it. "This wasn't supposed to happen  _now_ , we should have had years to prepare for this." At that moment he wanted nothing more than to tear Jacob Black limb from limb for what he done to his beautiful Isabella. He had prematurely ended her young life and forced Edward to make a decision that he was in no way prepared for.

To give Bella a second chance at living, well,  _existing_  since she'd technically be dead, he would have to make her like him.

_A vampire._

He and his family would never usually consider doing this without consent, so the very idea of changing Bella when she no idea that creatures of his kind even existed, tore at his very soul. He wanted her, there was no doubt about that. He wanted to spend eternity with her by his side, but he had no way of knowing if it was what she would have wanted had she been given the choice. He would rather let her go now than have her hate him forever.

He looked down at her pale face, now almost as white as his own. She was out cold and even if he could wake her up for a second, she would be in no state to make that decision. He would just have to make it for her and hope that he made the right one. Selfishly he knew what he would probably do, regardless of whether it was the right thing for Bella or not. Looking for some guidance he called the one person he knew would understand.

"Edward?" the familiar voice answered immediately and Edward rushed to tell him everything that had happened, talking faster than human ears could comprehend because time was rapidly running out. Jasper knew all about Bella, so when Edward told him she was dying, he realized straight away why he was calling.

"What do I do, Jasper?"

"I'm sorry, E, but I can't tell you what to do on this one." Edward ran a hand roughly though his hair while holding Bella's hand tightly with the other. "If you love her and want her forever, then change her."

"I thought I'd have years before doing this," he cried desperately into the phone. "And then it would have been her decision to make, not mine."

Bella's breathing faltered slightly, and when Edward's eyes shot down to her face, her skin had taken on a sickly gray pallor – a sure sign that death was just around the corner.

"I need to go; it's time."

As he snapped the phone shut he heard Jasper say one last thing before the connection was cut.

"If it was Alice, I would change her."

With that thought filling his mind, Edward made his decision. With one last kiss to her forehead, he peeled back the heavy blanket, leaned towards her and quickly sank his teeth into Bella's neck, his venom flooding her veins. He hardly registered her blood in his mouth this time, the thought of losing her overriding everything else. Had he waited too long? Her heart was barely beating and he feared it wouldn't be strong enough to force his venom round her body. Taking each wrist in turn, he bit her delicate skin, injecting more and praying that it was enough.

Seconds ticked by, each one feeling like hours as he studied her closely, watching to see the tell-tale signs that his venom was doing its work. Finally, just when he thought he couldn't stand the waiting any longer, she whimpered. A strangled sound caught in the back of her throat, barely audible to human ears, but it he had no trouble catching it.

Relaxing back ever so slightly, he continued to watch as her body steadily succumbed to the poison invading it. She writhed on the bed, one hand still gripping his tightly while the other one clawed at the sheets. The early part of the change wasn't painful, and her moans were verging on erotic as his venom warmed her from within. Her legs rubbed together and he shifted uncomfortably, trying to reposition the bulge that had suddenly appeared in his trousers. The noises coming from Isabella's mouth combined with the knowledge that something of his was flowing through her blood, was causing a very prominent reaction down below.

Ignoring his current problem, he began to check her jeans pockets, praying that he'd find what he was looking for and sighing in relief when he felt the hard outline of her phone. Scrolling through her contacts list, he sent a quick text to Rosalie, telling her she was staying at Edward's, everything was ok and she'd call her the next day. The answering beep and subsequent message told him that Rose was satisfied for now, but would expect to talk to Bella tomorrow. He would deal with that issue later.

With everything taken care of for now, he settled himself down beside her on his bed, her hand still clutched firmly in his. The pain would start in the next couple hours and would last for approximately twenty four hours after that. He knew there was a possibility that Bella's transformation may take less time though; since she was so near to death when it happened, her body would put up less resistance to the change. He really hoped it would be quicker for her.

~WtT~

Five hours in and he could barely stand to watch her in such pain. Her head thrashed from side to side, her skin slick with a thin sheen of sweat. Edward lay half across her body, pinning her down to stop her from flailing around so much. It wasn't the noises she made that tore at his heart, because apart from the quiet whimpers and moans every so often, she was virtually silent. No, it was the agonized expression on her face that had him willing time to speed up and end her torture.

He tried to occupy his mind, replaying the events that led him up to this moment. He'd first seen her leaving the club after her shift. He was hidden in the dark recesses of the street opposite Trinity, waiting to see if the killer he was hunting would show up here. The girls who worked here were smart though, always traveling in groups of two or more, none of them ever left alone. He was about to leave, knowing the killer preferred his victims to be on their own, when the side doors opened and he saw  _her_.

The girl she was walking and laughing with was a beauty, with her long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, but her companion, well she was breathtaking. Edward's eyes never left her perfect face as the two girls walked along the street towards their home. He took in every detail: her long, thick, shiny hair, swaying as she walked, and her pale, almost flawless skin that glowed in the moonlight. When she smiled he almost moaned at the sight. He knew right then that he had to have her.  _Needed_  to have her.

It took him three days to meet her, charm her and take her out. Her personality matched the rest of her and to his great delight they soon became inseparable. The only problem in their relationship was Jacob Black. Edward had known straight away what he was. As soon as Bella introduced them, both men had instantly bristled, each aware of the other's secret.

The killings in Seattle had piqued Edward's and his family's interest. The fact that the police had absolutely nothing to go on, combined with the fact that the killer committed his crimes in the middle of the city but was never ever seen, had led them to believe the murderer was not human. Edward and his family took great care to keep their secret and they had no intention of letting anyone or any  _thing_ expose them.

They didn't believe it was another vampire, because the blood was never taken. But you could never rule out the possibility of them just killing for killing's sake. Vampires could be very sadistic.

The only other non-humans in the area were the shapeshifters. Most of these belonged to the Quileute tribe on the La Push reservation out by Forks, but there were others here and there. During his initial investigations, Edward had briefly considered that Jacob Black could be the killer, but when all his alibis checked out, he couldn't connect him to the crimes. He should have known the tribe would protect one of their own.

Jacob's father was the Chief on the Reservation and Edward found it hard to believe that he didn't know what his son was up to. He needed to contact Jasper again and ask him to pay Billy Black a visit. Jacob needed to be stopped and Billy had to know where he could be, even if he might need a little persuading to tell the truth.

Edward hated the thought that Jake was still out there, still able to keep killing. He wanted to go after him so badly but Isabella was his priority.

~WtT~

Edward watched the afternoon sun begin to fade in the sky. He squinted slightly at the brightness; it was a total myth that vampires burned to a crisp in the sunlight, but the bright light was uncomfortable to look at. It had been seventeen hours since he had bitten her and as he looked down at the still form by his side, he knew it was nearly over.

She had stopped her frantic movements about an hour ago, falling totally silent soon after that. He trailed his fingers down her arms, feeling the soft yet firm texture of her skin. Her features were sharper, more defined, and her hair lustrous as it splayed across the pillow. She was glorious. He looked on, spellbound as her eyes flickered before opening fully.

She bolted upright, her hand clutching her throat and a look of sheer panic on her beautiful face. Edward gently squeezed her hand, telling her he was there but not wanting to startle her. Her head whipped round to face him.

"Edward?" she choked out, her voice hoarse and scratchy.

Before he could answer, she flew into his arms, her strength causing him to fall back onto the bed and wince.

"Oh my God, Edward! Jake told me you were the killer and he took me outside and then he...he...oh God. I'm so sorry I..." her voice broke into and she buried her head in his shoulder. Dry sobs wracked her body as she clung tightly to him.

"Sshhh...it's okay," he soothed, stroking her hair and trying to ease her increasingly painful grip on his arm.

He held her in his arms, waiting anxiously for the moment when she realized that something was very different. She let go of him and moved a hand up towards her face, no doubt wondering why there were no tears staining her cheeks. He felt her body tense as her hand move over her skin; it would feel hard under fingers – soft to the touch but unforgiving when she pressed down.

She pulled back out of his arms completely, her hand still touching her skin, confusion marring her beautiful face. "Edward?" her voice was full of fear as she spoke his name. "Something's wrong. What's happened to me?"

_Fuck._

This was it, the moment he'd been dreading since he'd made the decision to change her. He had one chance at this and he needed to get it right or risk losing her forever.

"Bella," he said, taking her hand gently away from her face and holding it in both of his. "What's the last thing you remember?"

He watched closely as she struggled to remember her very last moments that he knew from experience would be a little fuzzy and unclear. Her hand slid out of his grasp as she gingerly touched the perfect skin around her throat.

"He had a knife...he cut me..." Once again she looked totally confused as she continued to run her fingers over her neck and throat. "I know he cut me, but there's nothing there." Her large ruby red eyes looked to Edward for the answers and he prayed that what he had to say wouldn't spell the end for them.

"He did cut you, Bella. Very deeply." Her eyes grew impossibly wider, her mouth opening to ask him further questions, but he carried on speaking before she had chance to interrupt. "There was so much blood and I couldn't get you to a hospital in time, without putting me and my family in danger. Even if I had, I'm not sure they'd have been able to save you."

He paused, searching her face for any indication of how she was handling his explanation, but her features were carefully schooled into a blank expression as she waited for him to continue. A feeling of dread began to swirl in his stomach at her lack of reaction; it wasn't what he'd been expecting.

"Go on."

"I brought you back here, to my apartment. You were dying Bella, I wouldn't have done it if there was any other choice, but I couldn't lose you. I love you."

Her eyes snapped up at his revelation, it was the first time he'd said those words to her and he cursed himself for saying them at such an inappropriate moment. It wasn't going at all how he'd planned. He saw a flicker of excitement cross her features before the mask was back in place.

"What exactly did you do?" she asked, choosing to ignore his ill-timed declaration. Her voice was eerily calm and the feeling of dread in the pit of Edward's stomach only got worse.

"I changed you."

He grabbed her hands again, holding them tight as he rushed to explain what he was, what he had done and what it would mean for her. She scoffed when he said the word vampire, laughing in his face as he told her there were more of his kind;  _their_  kind. Her laughter died on her lips when he showed his speed, his strength and his teeth. She reached tentatively up to her mouth, running a finger along her own teeth and pulling it back sharply when it broke through her hard skin.

Edward reached out and snatched her hand to his mouth, sucking on her finger and sealing the cut with his venom. When he released her, she eyed her healed finger, her other hand unconsciously going to her neck.

"Yes," he said, answering her unspoken question. "That's how I sealed the wound on your throat."

She rubbed at it, swallowing thickly, before looking at him with a terrified expression.

"What is it?" he asked, worry lacing his voice.

"I'm thirsty," she whispered, as if she'd told him a terrible secret.

"Of course you are, you've just woken up."

"But I...I don't want to kill anyone." She gasped and her hands flew to cover her mouth and she looked at him in horror. "The blood...on your gloves. Was that...was that from..." She couldn't finish the sentence, but she didn't need to. Edward knew exactly what she was thinking and he needed to set her mind at ease right away.

"No, Bella. I know what you're thinking, but that was animal blood. Not human. My family and I don't drink from people."

She relaxed a little at that, but her hands went back to her throat and she swallowed again. She needed blood and she needed it now. Normally he would have had blood on hand, ready for when she woke up, but he hadn't planned any of this, so was dreadfully unprepared. He knew what he needed to do; she'd just have to feed from him to tide her over while he went out to get some blood.

"Bella, you need to drink from me. It'll take the edge off."

She stopped stroking her throat and stared at him, her eyes glancing down to his neck and back up.

"I don't know how," she whispered. She looked so lost and scared that he wondered again if he'd done the right thing in changing her.

"Here." He bit into his wrist and held it up to her. She looked at it for a fraction of a second before snatching it toward her and clamping her mouth around the wound, drawing in his blood greedily. She sucked and sucked, and the blood -although weakened from being in Edward's body- tasted heavenly on her burning throat.

"That's enough," he said, after she'd drunk from him for five minutes, not letting go of his arm once. "Bella!" he shouted, reaching up to pull her off when she ignored him.

She fell back on the bed, blood smeared around her mouth and her eyes shining as she looked up at him. He'd never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life.

"Oh my God, Edward." She grinned, licking the remaining blood from her lips. "I've never felt so alive."

He registered the change in her mood only moments before she launched her self at him, pinning him to the bed, her lips crashing to his as she kissed him, hard. He kissed her back, allowing himself to savor the taste of his blood in her mouth before gently easing her back.

"Why did you stop?" she asked, still pinning him down.

"Because there's still a lot we need to talk about, but first I need to go out and get you some blood. Mine is too weak to sustain you for long. You need human blood for the first few days after the change."

"But you said -"

"I'll get it from the hospital. No-one will be harmed, I promise."

She nodded and shifted back so that he could get up from the bed. He stumbled a little, not realizing just how much blood she had taken.

"Are you ok?" she asked him, and he smiled at the concern in her voice.

"Yes, I just need to hunt, that's all."

Her fingers went to her mouth while her eyes swept down over his wrist. "I took too much, didn't I? I'm sorry."

He drew her into his arms, assuring her that he'd be fine after he hunted; he was just a little weak. He kept hold of her, breathing in her scent as his head rested on hers.

"Jacob is still out there," he said into her hair, feeling her immediately tense at his words. "So don't answer the door to anyone. Do you understand?"

She nodded against his chest. He didn't mention the fact that although his door was stronger than usual and reinforced, he wasn't sure it would hold against Jake's shifter strength. He didn't want to worry her. He wished there was another way, but she needed blood; he'd just have to hurry back as quickly as possible.

He kissed the top of her head, made her promise one last time to not answer the door, and left. He checked the street outside his apartment, testing the air for any sign of Jacob, but thankfully there was nothing. Edward just hoped he didn't run into him before he'd had chance to hunt, he would be no match in this weakened state. With one last look up at his apartment, he headed out to the hospital blood bank.

~WtT~

Jake had been watching Edward Cullen's apartment for the last thirty minutes, debating whether or not to go inside. He knew Cullen wasn't in there, if he _had_  been then he would definitely have been aware of Jake's presence across the street. The question was, did he have Bella locked away in there and what state would she be in if she was? He knew she hadn't been taken to the hospital -he'd checked- and he knew she hadn't been found dead because there was nothing in the papers or on the police radios.

He climbed the stairs to Cullen's apartment, inhaling deeply as reached the door. He could smell her. Her scent was slightly off, but it was definitely Bella in there. There was also the strong stench of vampire all over the place, which was to be expected since Cullen lived there. Something was missing though, something that he couldn't quite put his finger. He listened again, blocking out the surrounding noise and concentrating on the inside of the apartment.

_It was silent._

_No heartbeat._

No fucking heartbeat meant that he'd changed her into a vampire. Son of a bitch! As a newborn she'd be extremely hard to kill, but the only reason for Cullen to leave her would be to get her some blood. His people knew all about vampires and their feeding habits, they were the reason his tribe existed in the first place. A fact which only made Jake hate Cullen more when he'd discovered what he really was. Bella would need a lot of blood straight after the change, and she would be weak until she got it.

This was his chance. He had to kill her now, or she'd be too fucking strong for even him. He closed his eyes, remembering the feel of her going limp in his arms as he sliced her throat. He'd been robbed of the final exquisite moment, when her life had finally slipped away, but that would be rectified now.

He knocked on the door.

No answer.

He knocked again, this time harder.

There was movement inside, but still no-one answered the door.

_Clever girl._

Unfortunately for Bella, a simple door wouldn't keep him out. He took one step back before kicking the door and watching it fly off the hinges. The resulting scream brought a sinister smile to his face as he stepped over the threshold and went in search of his prey.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a serial killer loose in Seattle. Bartender Bella Swan must choose between her friend Jacob Black, and her lover Edward Cullen. Both men accuse the other of committing these awful crimes and when the evidence begins to mount up, she must decide who to trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the third and final chapter for this short story. Thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing. Special thanks to the lovely Fr333bird for giving me a shove to get this finished and to the awesome Gemmah for pre-reading & beta'ing it for me.
> 
> Disclaimer : SM owns all things Twilight related

Bella watched wide eyed as the door to Edward's apartment shattered into pieces. When Jake appeared in its place she screamed, backing away. Her hands instinctively flew to her throat as she remembered what he'd done to her.

"Hello, Bella," he said, smiling and moving toward her, slowly. "It looks like you've changed a little since I last saw you." He raised an eyebrow, expectantly, but she remained silent.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" He continued to walk forward, forcing her further back into the apartment. "We used to talk all the time, remember?"

Bella remembered all too well, and struggled to understand how the man she knew as her friend could be the same man who now stood in front of her. The open and friendly smile she was so used to seeing, now replaced by the menacing glare of a cold-hearted killer.

"Why, Jake?" she asked, causing him to pause mid-step. "What did I ever do to you?"

"You chose him," he spat, his lip curling in distaste. "You chose to be with a fucking vampire. If you'd picked me when I gave you the chance, you'd still be alive."

Bella shuddered at the thought of being with such a monster. "I have never been so glad that I turned you down," she hissed at him. "You're a monster."

He threw his head back and laughed at her. " _I'm_ a monster?" he asked incredulously. "You've been dating the undead, for fuck's sake. Edward is a  _vampire_! You're a  _vampire_!"

"Edward doesn't kill innocent people, and neither will I." She had a pained expression as she thought about the girls that Jacob had murdered. "All those girls, Jake." She shook her head, unable to comprehend why he would do it.

Jake just shrugged his shoulders. "They deserved it."

"And me? Did I deserve it?"

"You especially. I gave you chance after chance to do the right thing." Bella flinched at the menacing tone of his voice. Her eyes darting frantically round the room, looking for a means of escape; but she was trapped. "But no, you wouldn't listen, would you?" he continued, sneering at her as he spoke. " _Edward_  could do no wrong in your eyes. When he took you home that night, that's when I decided you needed to die. It was so easy to make you doubt your beloved boyfriend. You had so little faith, I almost felt sorry for him."

Bella reeled back from his words, guilt washing over her like a slap to the face. He was right. She had been so quick to believe the worst things imaginable about Edward. Her eyes dropped to the floor as she thought about how Edward must have felt to realize she didn't trust him.  _And_ _yet_ _he'd_ _still_ _saved_ _her._

With Bella momentarily distracted, Jake saw his chance and he took it; charging at her and slamming her back into the wall. The plaster crumbled around them, her head smacking it hard and punching a hole in the living room wall.

Instinct took over and venom flooded Bella's mouth as her mind registered only one thing.

_She had to fight._

Before Jake had chance to back off, she grabbed his arms and threw him off of her, sending him flying across the room and into the large LCD television hanging on Edward's wall. Glass shattered everywhere as Jake fell to the floor with a grunt.

"Not so fucking tough now are you,  _Jake_?" Bella hissed as she stalked towards him, knocking the plaster out of her hair and grinning at her newly discovered strength. She hadn't fully appreciated what being a vampire meant, until she felt the power coursing through her body when she attacked Jake. "Let's see how easy it is to kill me now."

She closed the remaining distance between them in the blink of an eye, her fist connecting with his jaw, snapping it to the side and spraying blood up the wall behind him. He jumped to his feet, shaking his head and spitting blood onto the floor.

"Enjoy it while you can," he laughed. "That strength of yours isn't going to last long."

Bella stopped in her tracks at his mocking tone. He looked too sure of himself to be bluffing, but it couldn't be true, could it? "You're lying." she said but her voice lacked conviction.

"Am I?" He took a step towards her, but she held her ground. Whether he was right or not, she was going to fucking fight. "You need blood, Bella. A newborn like you needs a  _lot_ of blood to keep up their strength."

"Edward's gone to get some, he'll be back soon."

"I'd better kill you quickly, then."

Before Bella had chance to react to his words, the air shimmered around him. His skin rippled and his body shook before exploding into the form of a huge, russet colored wolf. Bella stumbled back out of the room, her mouth hanging open in shock and her eyes never leaving the giant beast in front of her.

If what Jake had said was true, that she was getting weaker by the second, she really fucking hoped Edward hurried up with that blood.

The wolf bared its teeth, snarling at her as it began to stalk her. It stopped suddenly in the middle of the room and leaned back on its haunches. Bella knew it was preparing to launch itself at her and instinctively she braced for impact. It was quick, flying through the air with jaws aimed at her throat, but she was quicker. She shifted to the side just in time. Its teeth narrowly missed her neck, but still managed to tear across her shoulder.

She cried out at the pain, wincing as she used her damaged arm to shove the wolf back across the room. It hit the corner with a sickening snap and Bella smiled grimly, flexing her arm and assessing the wound.

 _That_  was when she felt it. As the wound began to heal and her body fought to fix itself, she felt a little weaker than just moments before. Jake  _was_  right, she needed blood.  _Now._

_Where_ _was_ _Edward?_

Not for the first time in the last forty eight hours, Bella felt the faint stirrings of panic and struggled not to let it show.

The wolf was back up and on its feet, eyeing her like the prey she was, as it paced back and forth across the far end of the room. She cast a furtive glance at her arm, relieved to see it was nearly healed now, but worried as to how much it had cost her.

The air around the wolf swirled again, and Bella watched transfixed as it morphed back into the person she had come to hate; only this time he was naked. Her eyes were drawn downwards and when he noticed her looking, he grinned and spread his hands apart gesturing to his bare skin. "It's a side effect of phasing -clothes get ruined."

"What the fuck are you?" Bella asked, her head snapping up to look him in the eye and nowhere else. The very thought of him made her skin crawl.

"I'm a shapeshifter. Didn't Edward tell you?"

Bella shook her head. She knew she had to delay him until Edward could get back and she frantically searched for something to say. "Can you change into anything else beside a wolf?"

"Oh no you don't," Jake said, ignoring her question and waving a finger at her. "I know what you're doing and it won't work. He's not going to make it this time, Bella." He reached his arms up above his head and she heard his spine crack as he stretched out his muscles.

She swallowed thickly and readied herself for his attack. She may not be as strong as him anymore, but she wasn't going down without a fight. "Bring it, Jake," she spat. "Let's see what you've got."

He ran full speed toward her and she met him head on, the sound deafening as they crashed into each other. Much to her relief, she still had the advantage, but only just. They fell to the floor, with Bella on top. She hit him hard across his jaw, her hands immediately sliding around his neck as he struggled to recover. She squeezed as hard as she could, her finger tips almost touching as her grip on him tightened.

He bucked underneath her, his legs scrabbling for purchase on the hard floor and his hands grabbing at hers in a desperate attempt to peel them off him. Bella tried as hard as she could to end this before she got any weaker, but already she could feel her strength slipping away and judging by the smirk spreading across Jacob's face, he knew it too. Seconds later his hands fastened around hers and he managed to prize them off his throat. He pushed her up off him and planted a swift kick to her stomach, sending her crashing into the wall.

He was on her before she had chance to right herself. There was no more taunting, and when she looked up into his face she knew that this was it. There was no point trying to reason with him, he was so focused on the task at hand, she doubted he'd have heard her anyway. He'd had his fun and now he was going to kill her and finish what he'd started in the alley. His big meaty hands grabbed her, one across her chest, the other wrapped tightly round her neck and he pinned her against the wall.

"Do you know the only way to truly kill a vampire, Bella?" he asked, his voice cold and devoid of all emotion. She couldn't move her head or speak because his hand was almost crushing her throat by that point; he didn't want an answer anyway. "Well I'm about to show you."

The pressure on her neck increased; she closed her eyes, not wanting Jacob's face to be the last thing she saw. Instead, she pictured Edward's face and how beautiful he'd looked when she'd first woken up after the change. If only they'd had more time...

~WtT~

Edward flew along the deserted streets, the blood tucked securely under his arm. It had been relatively easy to procure his precious cargo given the time of night. The hospital had minimum staff on duty and he'd been able to slip inside without having to hang around. He knew he should take this opportunity to hunt; he was dangerously weak from letting Bella feed from him, but he was far too anxious to get back to her. He had a bad feeling in his gut, the hairs on the back of his neck tingling in warning. Hunting would have to wait.

He'd kept his senses alert looking for any hint of Jacob, all the way to and from the hospital, but there'd been nothing. Absolutely nothing. Maybe he was worrying needlessly.

He rounded the last corner and his senses were suddenly assaulted with the all-to-familiar scent. A growl tore out of his chest and he raced to his apartment.

He heard them as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

" _Do you know the only way to truly kill a vampire, Bella? Well I'm about to show you."_

 _No!_  Edward thought as he pushed himself to go impossibly faster,  _I_ _will_ _not_ _lose_ _her_ _again._ It was just like before, outside the nightclub. Except there would be no second chance for Bella if he was too late this time.

Edward burst through the doorway to his apartment, cursing when he saw the broken door and the damage inside. He rounded the corner of the hall, and stopped in his tracks when he saw Jacob with his beautiful Bella pinned to the wall, his huge hands wrapped tightly round her throat.

"Get the fuck away from her," Edward yelled, dropping the precious box of blood on the floor and rushing over to help her.

Jacob looked over his shoulder, his eyes slightly unfocused as Edward rushed towards him. Only when cold hands pulled him back sharply, did he snap out of his daze and realize what was happening.

The ease with which he had released Bella surprised Edward; he knew without a shadow of a doubt that in his current state he was no match for a shapeshifter. He must have caught Jake by surprise – although that was odd in itself, considering Jake should have sensed him before he'd got here

He took his opportunity and before Jake could react further, Edward shoved him as hard as he could, sending him flying across the room.

"Bella?" Edward whispered, reaching down to grab her hand. "Come on, get up. We need to go. Now." He pulled her to her feet, grimacing as she wobbled slightly.  _Shit_. She needed that blood. They both did. He hadn't touched human blood in eighty years, but tonight he'd fucking make an exception.

He cast a quick glance over to where Jake had landed, but it wasn't Jake that he saw. He'd shifted, and there instead was a fucking huge wolf, and it was headed their way.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

He made a split second decision which he hope wouldn't cost both of them their lives. He shoved Bella away from him, in the direction of the discarded box on the floor, just as the wolf barreled into him from the side. They crashed hard into the kitchen counter; a tangle of limbs and fur.

"Go, Bella." Edward yelled at her, clinging onto the wolf with everything he had. "Get the blood. I can't hold him."

He watched as she ran as fast as she could towards it, skidding to a halt on the wooden floor and quickly flipping the box open. The wolf twisted in his arms, Edward's grip far too weak to contain it any longer. Its head wriggled free and its huge, sharp teeth found their way into Edward's side. He cried out with the pain as the wolf picked him up and shook him like a toy, before tossing him to the side.

"Edward!" Bella screamed as she looked up and saw Jake throw him.

He fell in a heap on the ground, helpless to do anything but watch as it loped towards Bella. She started to go to him, but Edward shook his head, lifting up slightly.

"The blood...Bella" he whispered, feeling weaker by the second as the gaping wound in his side sapped more of his strength. "Get the blood." He slumped back to the floor, silently willing her to hurry the fuck up. If they had any chance of getting out of this intact, she needed to drink that blood pretty fucking fast.

He managed a weak smile as she tore open bag after bag, greedily gulping down the nectar inside. His mouth flooded with venom as he imagined its taste. His eyes followed the path of it as some of the blood escaped her mouth, trickling down her chin, her throat and pooling in the swell of her breasts. He licked his lips, wanting nothing more than to help her clean up, but they had a rather more pressing problem to take care of first.

Bella stood up as she drained her last bag, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. The blood smeared across her pale cheek, her skin ethereal in the muted light, and her eyes glowing a menacing dark red. Edward had never seen anything so magnificent in his whole existence. He could see the strength returning to her body as she flexed her hands and stretched her neck.

Jake was almost upon her and when she saw him coming, she smiled. It was cold, calculating and nothing at all like his Bella. The wolf stopped in its tracks and sniffed the air. Edward knew it could smell the blood, and by now it would have realized that it wasn't animal blood in those bags.

You better run now, Jake," he said, knowing full well that the wolf could understand his words. "That was human blood she just drank." Edward laughed when he saw it step back a little. "Yes, that's right; she'll be  _so_  much stronger now."

The wolf turned quickly, looking desperate to get away, but Bella was far quicker now she had fed. She sprang at him, covering the distance between them before it could escape, her arms locking tightly round its neck.

"You killed me; robbed me of my life," she hissed, squeezing tightly as the wolf squirmed in her embrace. Edward watched, in awe, as she sank her teeth into its throat before throwing it at the wall. The brick crumbled under the force, reducing Edward's apartment to an even bigger open plan space.

She stalked towards the crumbled form; not stopping when the wolf disappeared, revealing a bruised and battered Jake.

"It was Edward, "Jake mumbled, spitting out blood as he spoke. "He turned you into this monster."

"After you tried to kill me!" Bella snarled at him. "Edward saved me." She flashed a quick look in Edward's direction and her gaze softened for a second. Her gaze snapped back to Jake, still lying in a heap on the floor. "You killed me, and all those innocent girls. How could you?"

Jake got shakily to his feet. "It was easy. Out all alone at that time of night: They were asking for it."

Edward saw the second she made up her mind to kill him; her eyes narrowed slightly and she swallowed the venom that he knew would be flooding her mouth. She closed the distance between her and Jake in the blink of an eye. Her hands slipped round his throat, and neither she nor Edward flinched at the sound of breaking bones as she snapped his neck and let his broken body slide to the floor.

Bella?" Edward asked, softly. She was stood, motionless, looking down at Jake's dead body. "Bella," he tried again. Her head whipped round, her body tensed and poised to fight, her eyes wide and feral. "Hey," he whispered. "It's just me." He held out his hand to her, and slowly but surely he could see her vision clear and  _his_  Bella slowly resurfaced. She looked over at Jacob and then back to Edward.

"I'm not sorry," she said. "Is that horrible of me to say?"

"No," Edward answered, opening his arms out for her. She almost fell into them and sighed deeply. "I was so scared that I'd lose you a second time." His words were slightly muffled by her hair as he placed tender kisses on the top of her head. "I love you, Bella. So much."

"Oh, Edward, I love you too." Her voice hitched and she pulled herself tighter against him, causing him to wince slightly. She immediately pulled back a little, her hands running all over his body. He smiled when he realized she was checking him for injuries.

"It's nearly healed," he said, stilling her hands as they ghosted over the wound in his side.

"You're so weak," Bella said, looking up into his eyes. "Didn't you hunt?"

"No. I wanted to get back to you."

She extricated herself from his arms and walked back over to the blood box. She reached inside and waved an unopened bag. "Lucky I saved one for you."

"I can't drink that, Bella," Edward said, but his voice was unconvincing and his mouth watered in anticipation.

"It won't hurt just his once," she coaxed, coming nearer. "You need help to heal that wound. So don't argue."

He smiled at her bossiness, loving the way she placed her hands on her hips as she looked down at him, one eyebrow raised. They may have yet to talk about a shit load of stuff, and there also was Rosalie and Charlie to deal with, but Edward couldn't help but grin as he realized that this incredible creature was his.

_Forever._


End file.
